Cheese-and-bacon-stuffed mushrooms look appealing on a platter with gooey, bacon-studded stuffing, says cookbook author Natasha Kravchuk. (Photo courtesy of Charity Burggraaf)
Will you spend New Year’s Eve at home? of course. For those looking to bid farewell to 2023 in the tranquility of their abode, a meal with an array of delicious appetizers may sound like a great idea. This could be a great time to invite your neighbors to stop by and join in on the delicious fun.
We’ve selected three tempting appetizers from Natasha Kravchuk’s new cookbook, Natasha’s Kitchen: 100 Plus Easy Family-Favorite Recipes You’ll Make Again and Again (Clarkson Potter).
In 1989, when Kravchuk was 4 years old, she and her family entered the United States as refugees from Ukraine. She writes that her mother was a great cook and she spoiled her family with delicious meals. Natasha didn’t start cooking until she got married and raised her own family. In 2009, she began blogging about the joy she discovered in the kitchen, creating and sharing recipes. She revealed both her successes and her failures. Her audience grew and grew.
Next, we will introduce her charming snacks that are perfect for New Year’s Eve.
smoked salmon crostini
“I had been making elegant yet surprisingly simple crostini for years, and just when I thought they couldn’t get any better, I made a final adjustment,” Kravchuk writes of the smoked salmon crostini.
After tasting a version that added small lemon slices as a garnish, she tweaked the formula. She liked the acidity the citrus added, so she tweaked the recipe to add lemon juice and zest to the herbed cream cheese concoction spread on the crostini before adding the smoked salmon, cucumber, and fresh dill.
Yield: 25 crostini
material
1 baguette (16 oz)
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing
Herbal cream cheese:
1 medium lemon
6 ounces plain cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (dark green part) or chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, more for garnish
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic (squeezed or grated)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
assembly:
Cut 1/2 a peeled English cucumber into 25 thin slices.
8 to 10 ounces thinly sliced cold smoked salmon
Cook’s Notes: Cooking Confession: When I’m in a pinch, I use Boursin soft herb cheese in place of my from-scratch herbed cream cheese.
direction
1. Prepare the crostini. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the baguette diagonally into 25 equal pieces and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil and grill for 5 minutes until crispy on the edges but still soft in the center. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Prepare the herbal cream cheese: remove the zest from whole lemons, grating and chopping them in the process (a Microplane rasp grater is best for this). Set aside. Squeeze the lemon and set aside 1 1/2 tsp. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, green onions, dill, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, and reserved lemon juice. Use a fork to mash the mixture until homogeneous.
4. Assemble: Spread a thin layer of herbed cream cheese on each toast, then top with cucumber slices and salmon slices. Transfer to a plate, serving with the crostini.
5. Sprinkle finished crostini with dill and reserved lemon zest. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours until ready to serve.
Source: “Natasha’s Kitchen” by Natasha Kravchuk (Clarkson Potter)
Mushroom stuffed with cheese and bacon
“Once you have this decadent appetizer, we guarantee it will disappear just as quickly,” Kloczuk writes. “Not only does it look appealing on a platter, but the melty, bacon-studded stuffing really sells it.”
Do not wash the mushrooms as they may absorb moisture and become soggy. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel.
Yield: 24 stuffed mushrooms
material
Vegetable oil or extra light olive oil for grease
6 pieces of regular cut bacon
4 ounces plain cream cheese, softened (room temperature)
1/2 cup shredded or freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic (chopped or grated)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 cremini mushrooms, about 1 pound, with stems
Cook’s Note: Remove the stems from the mushrooms and they’re ready to go. You can also use white mushrooms or button mushrooms. If you use large mushrooms, they may take longer to cook.
direction
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the bacon for about 3 minutes on each side, until crisp and brown. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Cut into small pieces and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mash the mixture together using a fork and add half of the bacon bits. Continue stirring until incorporated. Divide the stuffing evenly between the mushrooms (about 2 teaspoons per mushroom). Sprinkle remaining bacon bits on top.
4. Arrange the mushrooms evenly on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and beginning to brown in spots. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Source: “Natasha’s Kitchen” by Natasha Kravchuk (Clarkson Potter)
crispy coconut chicken strips
Kravchuk explained that the dish was inspired by a popular coconut shrimp recipe, and said she thought juicy chicken strips would be better. It also comes with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that can be made quickly and easily by combining sweet chili sauce and apricot jam.
Yield: 8-10 bids.
material
Dipping sauce:
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup apricot jam or apricot fruit spread
Coconut chicken strips:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups candied shredded coconut
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 to 1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders (8 to 10)
Very light olive or vegetable oil for frying
1 lime (for serving)
Cook’s Note: To reheat, crisp in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes or in a standard oven set at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
direction
1. Prepare the dipping sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chili sauce and apricot jam. Mix well. Let’s set it aside.
2. Prepare chicken strips. Prepare 3 medium shallow bowls. First, add flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. In the second bowl, use a fork to mix the eggs well. In a third bowl, combine the coconut and breadcrumbs.
3. Dip the two chicken breasts into the flour mixture, turning to coat well and tap to remove excess. Coat the chicken with the egg, draining the excess back into the bowl. Finally, roll the chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mixture and use your hands to gently press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to create a nice, thick coating. Transfer breaded chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
4. In a large cast-iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium heat, add about 1/4 inch of oil. This should be enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot (about 350 degrees), add half of the chicken breasts. Don’t try to cook everything at once. Packing the pan will cool the oil and prevent the chicken from getting crispy. No one wants to be covered in sticky crumbs. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tender should read 165 degrees. Transfer bids to a platter.
5. Add oil if necessary, wait until it comes to temperature, and strain out any large crumbs to avoid burning. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Serve warm with dipping sauce and lime.
Source: “Natasha’s Kitchen” by Natasha Kravchuk (Clarkson Potter)
Award-winning food writer Kathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “The 50 Best Plants on Earth.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.